To Vaccinate is to Protect

Epidemics have no concept of borders! That is why, via Inserm, France is making a commitment to the health of European citizens by creating a European platform to intensify national responses to the challenges posed by vaccination. This European Joint Action on Vaccination (EU-JAV), coordinated by Inserm and backed by the French health ministry, was launched on September 4 with the participation of 19 other European countries.

Vaccines save between 1 and 3 million lives each year. Despite this, a phenomenon of reticence towards vaccination has been emerging over the previous decade, with many European countries experiencing insufficient vaccine cover for infectious diseases which would normally be eliminated.

With record levels of measles being registered in Europe – three times more cases in the six first months of 2018 than in the whole of 2017 – no fewer than 20 countries represented by their health ministries, public health institutes, research bodies, or universities are mobilizing to combat the re-emergence of diseases that can be avoided thanks to vaccines. This action is supported by the large international and European organizations: WHO, OECD, ECDC, EMA, as well as numerous stakeholders representing health professionals, civil society and the vaccines manufacturers.

By building on existing initiatives, the objective of JAV is to create a joint platform for the participating countries, whether or not they are EU Member States, to strengthen such cooperation mechanisms as:

– shared methods for the systematic review of clinical trials to evaluate vaccine efficacy and safety prior to approval

– an updatable inventory of each country’s vaccine stocks and requirements for the prevention of shortages

– strengthened dialog between the various stakeholders to establish joint priorities and harmonize research and development strategies

And finally, to overcome the crisis of public confidence in vaccinations: experience-sharing with countries with high or restored levels of confidence, and good practices for the dissemination of information.